Henry SaltBiblio.com
SALT, HenryBiblio.com
A Voyage to Abyssinia and travels into the interior of that country executed under the order of the British government in the years 1809 and 1810; in which are included an account of the Portuguese settlements on the east coast of Africa visited in the course of the voyage; a concise narrative of late events in Arabia Felix; and some particulars respecting the Aboriginal African tribes extending from Mosambique to the borders of Egypt; together with vocabularies of their respective languages.
116634London Rivington 1814. . First edition; 4to 31 x 24 cm; 28 engraved plates on 27 leaves after Salt 7 engraved maps and charts on 6 sheets 4 of which folding and 1 hand-coloured 2 engraved vignettes tear through p.11 repaired without loss of text a couple of small tears to folds of maps repaired one map bisected by binder through middle fold and expertly repaired without loss; full contemporary tree calf rebacked preserving original gilt morocco lettering piece gilt roll to board edges all edges speckled corner tips professionally restored a very good copy; xii iv 506 lxxv pp.<br /> First edition of Salt's work on Abyssinia the largest treatment of Ethiopia since Bruce's Travels twenty-five years prior and includes one of the earliest depictions of indigenous hippo hunting.<br /><br />Salt had previously visited Ethiopia in 1805 as part of Viscount Valentia's entourage visiting Massawa Aksum Adwa and other parts of Tegré. He returned to Ethiopia in 1809 on a government mission to treat with the Ethiopian Emperor Egwale Seyon in Gondar but unrest prevented him from going further than Tegré. Salt instead spent two years recording the geography wildlife and people of the region including his own accomplished drawings and views of his surroundings. He visited the early Christian monastery of Dabra Damo and the pre-Aksumite capital Yeha as well as the towns of Chelaqot Antalo Adwa and Aksum where he recorded a fourth-century stone inscription. <br /><br />On his return he was soon elevated to General Consul of Egypt and would go on to be one of Britain's greatest promoters of Egyptology.<br /> Blackmer 1479; Gay 2683; Pankhurst 12. London, Rivington, 1814. unknown
Shapero Rare Books · Royaume-Uni1 750,00 £GB≈ 1 998,15 €
